What did the world look like the last time LeBron James didn't make the NBA All-Star game?

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James extended his own history Thursday night after being named an NBA All-Star for the 21st straight season. James was named a starter for the Western Conference alongside Stephen Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic.

James' longevity is truly unbelievable, being named an All-Star for the first time in the 2004-05 season. Only during his rookie year was James not named an All-Star, which is kind of shocking considering he averaged more than 20 points, five rebounds and five assists that season. In honor of James' All-Star streak being legally able to drink in the United States, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what the world looked like the last time he missed an All-Star game.

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The date was February 15, 2004, the last time LeBron James didn't play in the NBA's All-Star game, which was ironically being played at the Staples Center in Los Angeles that year. The world was a very different place back then. Shaquille O'Neal won the All-Star game's MVP award and Kevin Garnett was on the way to being named NBA MVP.

Tom Brady and the New England Patriots had just won their second Super Bowl, winning on another walk-off field goal by Adam Vinatieri. The Boston Red Sox were still amid an 86-year World Series drought, and Michael Phelps had a grand total of zero Olympic medals, though that would change over the summer. LSU was College Football's national champion, and led by head coach Nick Saban the Tigers finished 12-1. UConn men's basketball was about to begin a run that finished with their second title, and the Florida Marlins were still basking in the sun of their World Series victory, defeating the New York Yankees in six games.

Beyoncé had just won five Grammy Awards while Coldplay's "Clocks" won Record of the Year. Kanye West's first studio album, "The College Dropout" was released five days prior to the All-Star game and the number one song in the country was "The Way You Move" by OutKast. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was set to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards in two weeks.

The president at the time was George H. Bush and he was in the midst of his first term. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry had emerged as the favorite for the 2004 Democrat nomination following his wins in multiple caucuses and primaries. The newest craze on Harvard's campus was some website called "TheFacebook", launched by Mark Zuckerberg in order to connect people around the university.

Back to reality. James is averaging 23.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game this season, deservedly being named an All-Star this year. Here's to hoping he continues to extend his streak in the years to come.

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